Ink-well and cover therefor



C. E. BIRCH.

INK WELL AND COVER THEREFOR.

0N HLED Nov.20.191s.

1,305,869. .Patent-ed .l une 3, 1919.

llllll l lll llllll llllll By M J A TTHNEYS CLARENCE ELLIS BIRCH, OF LAWRENCE, KANSAS.

INK-WELL AND COVER THEREFOR.

Speccaton of Letters Patent.

Patented June 3., 193.9.

Application led November 20, 1918 Serial No. 263,378.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, CLARENCE E. BIRCH, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Lawrence, in the county of Douglas and State of Kansas, have invented a new and Improved Ink-Well and Cover Therefor, of which the following is a description.

My invention while capable of vuse as an inkwell generally -is more particularly intended for use on school desks and an object of the invention is to provide an inkwell and a novel cover therefor so formed and arranged that certain important characteristics and advantages result among which are the following :-'I`he inkwell may be given a form and dimensions to have a relatively large capacity as compared with the ordinary inkwell of schools; the evaporation of the ink from the well is minimized; the cover is provided with means for detachably securing it to the desk to be held ordinarily immovable on the desk but adapted to be readily detached, for cleaning the inkwell for example; the cover prevents the accidental displacement of the inkwell and protects the latter from being spilled or knocked from the desk or damaged; and the well is permitted a limited forward or rearward movement to expose the opening therein or to a position within the cover and with said opening of the well closed by the cover. y

More specifically, the invention has for its object to embody the ink and cover in a simple form inexpensive to manufacture, and ornamental in appearance.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, it being understood that the draw ings are merely illustrative of one example of the invention.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an inkwell and cover embodying my invention, the inkwell being in the outer position to aord access to the ink;

Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof;

Fig. 3 is a side view;

Fig. l is a front view;

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section on the line 5 5, Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the blank from which the cover is formed;

Fig. 7 is a detail of the preferred fastener for the cover, parts being in vertical section as indicated by the line 7 7, Fig. 2.

In carrying out my invention in accordance wlth the illustrated example the inkwell 10 generally of oblong form is formed in the top, near the front end, with an opening 11 to afford access for ink and to be utilized as a lling opening. The cover 12 is three-sided presenting a top and depending sides 13, the front being open, and advantageously the back also to economize material. On the sides 13 at the lower edges, outwardly disposed horizontal flanges 14: are formed, adapted to receive fastening means to secure the cover in fixed position on a desk. In the preferred form the flanges 14 have key-hole slots 15 therein to Areceive screws 16 hereinafter more particularly referred to, the arrangement permitting the flanges tobe dropped over the screw heads and the cover then slid to bring the screws into the narrow portions of the slots.

The sides 13 of the cover are formed with oblong openings 17 therein so that the thumb and finger may be entered through the opposite sides of the cover and the ink-well 10 grasped to shift it to the outer position shownin Fig. 1. The ink well may readily be moved inward vto be housed within the cover by pressure of the fingers against the front end thereof. In the top of the cover 12 is a longitudinal slot 20 which receives a projection 19 formed on or secured to the well 10 at the top, to limit the longitudinal movement of the kinkwell particularly in a forward direction. If desired, the rear end of the top may have a downturned flange 18 to'act as a stop instead of relying on the engagement of the projection 19 with the cover at the rear end of the slot 20. On the under side of the cover 12, near the front, is secured a piece of felt 21 or like soft material, to overlie the opening l1 of the inkwell when the latter is in the inner position to thereby tightly close said `opening to prevent the evaporation of the ink.

Advantageously, the fastening means may take the form as shown in Fig. 7 in which the screw 16 has a pointed end 22 to enter the 'desk and between the pointed end and the head the shank of the screw has fine threads as at 23 which receive a nut or threaded ring 24, the arrangement being such that the said nut may be tightened to bind against the flange 14: of the cover to securely hold the latter, a slight turning back of the nut serving to loosen the flange sufliciently for permitting it to be slid longitudinally for detaching the cover from the screws 16.

The screws may be formed with the usual slot for receiving a screw driver but as the llatter tool is not always readily available,

` herein illustrated, since manifestly the same can be' considerably varied without departure from the spirit of the invention as defined in the `appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

l. An inkwell formed with an opening to afford access to the ink therein, a cover in which said well is slid-able to dispose said opening beyond the cover or beneath the latter, and means tov xedly secure said cover to a desk; said cover having an open bottom to receive the inkwell with the latter directly supported on the desk, together with coacting means on the cover and Well to limit the sliding movement of the well and the cover.,

2.v An inkw'ell cover adapted to slidably accommodate an inkwell, and presenting a top and sides, the bottom being open so'that the inkwell has direct desk support, said sides having means whereby to xedly secure the cover to a desk and longitudinal openingstherein at the sides, between the top and bottom thereof whereby to permit of the well being grasped for sliding the same relatively to the cover to project said well for use.

3. An inkwell cover presenting a top and sides, outwardly disposed flanges on said sides at the lower edges adapted tov rest upon a desk, said flanges having key-hole slots therein, and means adapted to be secured to a 'desk and engage said flanges at said slots, said fastening means being adapted to be tightened for holding the cover against movement or to be loosened for permitting detachment of the cover. Y

4. An inkwell Vhaving an opening in the top thereof, a cover therefor presenting a top and sides and an open end through which said well may be projected to dispose said opening, means to secure said cover to a desk top, means on the under side of the top of said cover to effect a tight closure of Y the opening of the well, `and means to arrest the movement of the inkwell into the cover, whereby to position the opening in the inkwell beneath said closure means.

V5. An inkwell cover adapted to receive an inkwell, said cover presenting a top and sides, flanges on said sides at the bottom edges adapted to rest on a desk, and keyhole slots in said fianges; together with screws yadapted to pass through said slots and be secured to a desk, and nuts on said screws adapted for movement to or from the flanges to tightly clamp the cover in position or to loosen the cover to -permit sliding movement thereof relatively to the screws for detaching the cover.

CLARENCE ELLIS BIRCH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained fer ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

